Kānuka honey
What is the difference between kānuka and mānuka honey?
They come from two different plants that often grow side by side. Kānuka is a taller tree with softer foliage and smaller flowers; mānuka is generally a shrub. Kānuka honey is lighter, milder and sweeter than mānuka, and it is not subject to the government test or the grading systems that apply to mānuka.
| From | Kunzea ericoides |
|---|---|
| Colour | Light to mid-gold, paler than mānuka. |
| Flavour | Mild, sweet and floral, without the damp-earth intensity of mānuka. |
| Where | Widespread across both islands on regenerating scrubland, often alongside mānuka. |
| Harvest | Summer, and typically slightly later than mānuka where both grow together. |
| Crystallises | Readily, to a smooth set. |
Worth knowing
- The two plants are easily confused. A quick field test: kānuka foliage is soft to the palm, mānuka is prickly.
- Mānuka honey is defined by a Ministry for Primary Industries test and graded by systems such as UMF™. None of that applies to kānuka, which is sold as an ordinary floral honey.
If it has set solid in the jar
That is honey behaving normally rather than a fault — why honey crystallises explains what is happening and how to bring it back to liquid without wrecking the flavour.
Other New Zealand honeys
- Clover honey — Mild and clean, straightforwardly sweet, with a soft floral finish.
- Rewarewa honey — Malty and caramel-like, with a burnt-sugar edge and a long finish.
- Kāmahi honey — Buttery and rich, often described as butterscotch, finishing with a slight, clean bitterness.
- Pōhutukawa honey — Mild and smooth, with a delicate, slightly mineral finish.
- All 11 types